Support for drying paste products



Sept. 20, 1955 A. R. CURIONI SUPPORT FOR DRYING PASTE PRODUCTS File d July 22, 1952 13c B4 Z SUPPQRT FOR DRYING PASTE PRODUCTS Aldo R. Curioni, Tuckahoe, N. Y.

Application July 22, 1952, Serial No. 300,315

3 Claims. (Cl. 107-7) The present invention relates generally to rods or sticks for supporting paste extrusions, such as spaghetti, macaroni and vermicelli, and more particularly to an improved rod or stick for supporting these paste extrusions and to an improved method of applying a reinforcing member to the wooden part thereof.

In the manufacture of spaghetti, macaroni, vermicelli and the like, it is customary to drape the extruded lengths over a rod or member for drying. When dried, the U-shaped part, commonly called the elbow, is severed leaving two straight portions of equal length. The elbows are sold as a lower-price product. In my prior Patent No. 2,593,542, I have shown a machine which simplifies the cutting operation. The rod or supporting member on which the product is dried is delivered directly to the machine and the cutting operation is performed by the machine. The present invention relates more particularly to an improved rod for use in such a machine, although it can be used generally for drying paste extrusions and the like.

Wood, by reason of its porosity and lightness, has been found to be excellent for use as supporting rods in the drying of paste extrusions. These rods tend to absorb the moisture, which facilitates even drying and eliminates a wet portion at the elbow. However, repeated wetting and drying of the wood causes it to warp and to bend. When such a supporting rod is used in the machine of my said Patent No. 2,593,542, the cutting operation is impaired and the lengths of the cut portions of the product are no longer uniform. If the rod sways too much, the cutters will be above the rod and hence ineffective.

Attempts have been made to overcome these objections without changing to less desirable materials in the manufacture of supporting rods. The shape of the rod has been changed so that the vertical dimension of the rod is substantially greater than the lateral dimension. If the lateral dimension is too great, the length of the elbow will be excessive, and since it has to be sold at a lower price this would result in a manufacturing loss. While the resulting rod has greater strength in a vertical direction and will bend less under the weight of the draped product, warping continues and is equally objectionable.

The underside of wooden rods have been enveloped by a metal member nailed thereto. The repeated wetting and drying of the stock causes the metal member to loosen and in addition permits moisture intermediate the metal and wooden parts which shortens the life of the rod. A fiat strip of metal has been embedded into a rod having a greater vertical dimension than lateral dimension, but such a strip is not effective against lateral warping which would impair the rod when used in a machine such as the one shown in my said prior patent. Attempts have also been made to laminate a rod using different types of material, but again the tendency to United States Patent 2,718,199 Patented Sept. 20, 1955 warp and the repeated wetting and drying operations cause the laminations to part.

The present invention aims to overcome the above difficulties by providing an improved supporting member or stick which has a long life and which is free from substantial bending or warping and to accomplish this in an improved and inexpensive manner.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide reinforcing means which will prevent bending and warping of a porous and permeable supporting member when subjected to successive loading and moistening operations.

Another object of this invention is to provide a reinforcing means in combination with a supporting stick for paste elongations, which reinforcing means maintain a substantially permanent longitudinal and transverse relation with said stick.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of applying reinforcing means to a supporting stick such that bending and warping conditions will be substantially reduced.

Preferred embodiments have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal side view of one embodiment of the invention showing the supporting stick and its reinforcing means;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view showing a step in a method of making the reinforced stick;

Fig. 4 is a view showing a further step in the method wherein portions of the reinforcing member are about to be imbedded into the body of the supporting stick;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 showing a step in the method of forming the reinforcing member of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view showing a further step in the method shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a portion of the embodiment of the reinforced stick made by the method illustrated in Figs. 5-7.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the device comprises a rod 10 in combination with a reinforcing member 12. Rod 10 is preferably formed of wood since such material has the desired properties of porosity and permeability re.- quired to absorb moisture in the paste strips. Reinforcing member 12 is preferably made of a metallic, corrosion-resistant sheet metal having suitable rust proof properties, as well as substantial tensile and shear strength.

Rod 10 is preferably provided with a cylindrical surface generally shown at 11 along the length thereof.

Reinforcing member 12 comprises a U-shaped rib 13, the sides of which communicate with edge portions 14 and 15, and the edge portions of which flare outwardly and upwardly along the underside 16 of rod 10.

The free ends 17 and 18 of edge portions 14 and 15, respectively, are bent radially inward withv respect to rod 10 and are imbedded therein as at 19. It will be noted that rib 13 extends a substantial distance along the underside 16 of rod 10, being parallel to the axis thereof, and extending radially downward therefrom. Also the free ends 17 and 18 are imbedded in the lower reduced portion of rod 10 and the diameter is substantially greater than the maximum width of reinforcing member 12.

As seen in Fig. 1, the length of reinforcing member 12 is substantially less than the length of rod 10. The free ends of the latter provide bearing surfaces which serve 3 to support it in a suitable apparatus, such as that shown in my said Patent No. 2,593,542.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 8, it will be seen that portions of the embodiment shown therein correspond substantially with the portions of Figs. 1 and 2. The latter embodiment departs, however, from the former in that the U-shaped rib shown generally at 13:! has its sides 13b and 13c collapsed and welded together preferably at spaced points 22 along the length thereof.

I prefer to form the reinforcing member 12 by the following operations: Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, showing the one embodiment of the reinforcing member 12, U-shaped rib 13 is drawn into a relatively deep die, and the edge portions 14 and 15 are curved in a shape substantially complementary to portions on the underside 16 or rod 10. Thereafter (Figs. 3 and 4) rod is presented to reinforcing member 12 and stationed thereon between upper and lower jigs 23 and 24, respectively. Thus, jig 23 has an arcuate surface 25 complementary to the surface 11 of rod 10 and, correspondingly, jig 24 has curved surfaces 26 and 27 adapted to receive edge portions 14 and evenly. Also, a recess 28 is provided in jig 24 to receive rib 13 to solidly station reinforcing member 12.

Subsequently, blades 29 and 30 bend the upper extremities of edge portions 14 and 15, and urge them radially inward toward the axis of rod 10. This results in a bending of free ends 17 and 18 of reinforcing member 12 into the body of rod 10 thereby imbedding free ends 17 and 18 securely in place:

Figs. 6 and 7, respectively, correspond to the method shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and are adapted to show the manner of forming reinforcing member 13a of Fig. 5. Thus,

side portions 13b and 130 are collapsed together as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 above described. The sides 13b and 130 of rib 13a are thereafter spot-welded together as at spaced points 22 to further reinforce the assembly.

Among the advantages of the invention are the improved manner in which reinforcing members 12 and 12a minimize or prevent bending and warping. Thus, the curved edge portions 13 and 14 bear against the underside 16 of rod 10 to maintain the coaxial relation of member 10 with reinforcing member 12. This relation is maintained by reason of the imbedding of free ends 17 and 18 into the body of rod 10 thereby firmly attaching the supporting member and its reinforcing means together as a unit.

Also, while deflections are contemplated in any stick support, the tendency to deflect is negligible because of the clinched relation between reinforcing member 12 and member 10 along a substantial portion of the length of rod 10. By imbedding the free ends 17 and 18 rigidly into member 10, transverse and longitudinal, shear and tensile stresses are more effectively absorbed by the reinforcing member 12. Moreover, this reinforcing function is permanently accomplished by the above clinching action since increments of the supporting member 10 maintain a substantially immobile relation with respect to corresponding longitudinal portions of reinforcing member 12.

Rib members 13 and 13a further diminish the effects of such bending and warping tendencies by providing a substantial length of rigid material parallel to the axis of supporting member 10. The embodiment shown in Figs. 58 provides a still further reinforcement by reason 4 of the collapsed relation of sides 13b and 130, and the presence of spot-welded portions 22. It will be noted the latter united portions 13b and support the assembly as a unit.

Thus, there has been provided a reinforcing member which utilizes the desirable properties of a wood-like rod 10, i. e. porosity, permeability, ease of forming and insertion of reinforcing elements thereon. At the same time, pre-existing handicaps in the art attending the use of such wood-like supporting members in combination with reinforcing members, i. e. readiness to bend and warp, and to work loose from respective imbedded portions have been substantially decreased, if not completely eliminated.

As various changes may be made in the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A supporting stick for elongated extruded paste compositions draped thereover comprising in combination an elongated moisture absorbent member and an elongated reinforcing member clamped thereto, said moisture absorbent member having a generally convex arcuate face constituting the top portion thereof, the reinforcing member including a rib portion comprising two plies of metal connected together and extending substantially parallel to the axis of the moisture absorbent member and projecting radially downwardly therefrom and having upwardly extended portions flaring outwardly along and gripping the lower portion of the moisture absorbent member, the edges of said extended portions projecting radially inwardly and being imbedded within said lower portion, said convex arcuate face of the moisture absorbent member having a transverse width in excess of the width of the reinforcing member and extending outwardly of both edges of the extended portions of said reinforcing member whereby the paste compositions plumb evenly from said mosture absorbent member without touching said reinforcing member.

2. The stick as claimed in claim 1 in which said radially and inwardly extended edges of said reinforcing member compress at least a portion of the moisture absorbent member.

3. The stick as claimed in claim 1 in which said radially and downwardly extending metal plies of the elongated reinforcing member comprise a single piece of metal having a generally U-shaped lateral cross section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 70,847 Howdon Nov. 12, 1867 157,867 Pollard Dec. 15, 1874 847,548 Brunsman Mar. 19, 1907 1,773,818 Ledwinka Aug. 26, 1930 1,796,114 Meadowcroft Mar. 10, 1931 1,985,574 Mariani Dec. 25, 1934 2,100,959 Hurxthal Nov. 30, 1937 2,167,836 Greulich Aug. 1, 1939 2,181,169 Bates Nov. 28, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 380,048 Italy Apr. 18, 1940 

